William Henry "Big Bill" James (January 20, 1887 – May 25, 1942) was a professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of eight seasons in Major League Baseball between 1911 and 1919. Primarily used as a starting pitcher, he played for the Cleveland Naps (1911–1912), St. Louis Browns (1914–1915), Detroit Tigers (1915–1919), Boston Red Sox (1919) and Chicago White Sox (1919). James was a switch hitter and threw right-handed. He was born in Detroit, Michigan. Big Bill died in Venice, California, at age of 55.